Chongwe River House
Africa, Southern Africa | Zambia | All Inclusive, Eco Friendly, Family, Honeymoon, Safari, Sustainable, Tailor Made | Safari Lodge | River | Luxury
Chongwe River House represents award-winning safari design at its absolute finest. This charming, two storey, four bedroom private house is set on a serene stretch of the Chongwe River against a magnificent mountainous backdrop. The Chongwe area is well-know for its population of elephants which will frequently wander through the camp in search of seed pods from the winterthorn trees. Chongwe River House mixes smoothly into the tranquil river setting. The flowing curves and bends of the house become open living spaces that accentuate the surrounding wilderness. Waterfall showers, private open air bathtubs, furniture carved from a winterthorn tree and ceilings studded with river pebbles all combine to complete the inspired design. Throughout your stay, dedicated staff will ensure your experience is wonderful, relaxing and memorable.
Time + Tide Chongwe River House
Lower Zambezi National Park
Lusaka Province
Zambia
Chongwe River House is situated on the banks of the Chongwe River, just north of the border with Zimbabwe. Surrounded by a luscious forest, the house is idyllically located amongst the depths of nature. The nearest major city is Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, which is 155km away by road (about 3.5 hours).
- Beautiful house made from naturally sourced materials
- Unrivalled dining that is catered to your needs
- Opportunities to see game both on land and from the rivers
- Chance to fish for the famously combative tiger fish
- Secluded area that engorges you in nature
During your stay, enjoy the impressive variety of safari activities that make up the ultimate exploration of this beautiful African paradise. You can experience game drives and walking safaris on land, or take to the rivers and discover with boat cruises, canoeing safaris and tiger-fishing. The nearby Chongwe River Camp houses a large wildlife hide, a perfect place for photography, especially of rare nocturnal creatures.
Able to hold a maximum of eight guests in four individually decorated en-suite bedrooms, Chongwe River House is the ideal destination for travellers seeking a safari. The classic, thatched house has a frame of wild wood that follows the natural line of the branches, bringing nature into the house itself. The bathrooms coe with waterfall showers and exquisitely carved basins, and you can gaze out across the bush from inside your outdoor bath. King size beds are found under waves of netting and offer sensational of the bush or escarpment.
The furniture in the living room is carved from fallen winterthorn trees and coloured river pebbles decorate the ceilings. The deck and swimming pool have plenty of comfortable seating and lounging areas that lie under a huge winterthorn tree. The naturally flowing furnishings and decor make you wonder if you, too, will slip into a calm and relaxing flow of your own.
With open views of the magical Chongwe River and mountainous escarpment beyond, dining at Chongwe River House is a truly magical experience. Whether you’re seated at the stunning, hand-carved dining table in the main area or on the deck, under a canopy of stars, the senses are heightened as you indulge in a wide variety of delicious meals using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
The dining experience at Chongwe River House is totally tailor made, with meal times arranged to suit guests’ preferences. However, recommended times are listed below. The team of highly trained, local Chefs are happy to cater for any special dietary requirements you may have, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten, dairy free and more. It is asked that you inform the team in advance of your arrival.
Recommended meal times:
Breakfast: 6.00am – 7.00am.
Buffet Brunch: 11.30am – 12.30pm
High Tea: 3.30pm – 4.00pm.
Dinner: 7.30pm – 8.00pm.
It is difficult to compare the thrill of a walking safari with anything else, and Chongwe has some of the best terrain for exploring on foot in the Lower Zambezi valley. Walking helps you to really become intimate with Africa, enabling you to learn about the small, seemingly irrelevant plants and animals which are often overlooked on a game drive in favour of the more famous animals. Walks are accompanied by an armed scout for safety, and your safari guide will show you an incredible secret world of tiny wonders, hidden away amongst the bush, and lead you along ancient animal pathways, examining all manner of plants, trees and insects along the way.
One of the more unique ways to discover the delights of the Lower Zambezi valley is on a canoe safari. Canoes seat two guests each and a guide in comfort, with more than enough room for cameras and binoculars. Canoeing is a completely different way of seeing the world; as you glide gently along either the Zambezi and its channels or the Chongwe River, it allows you to fully appreciate the magical beauty of this area and the creatures and plants that call it home.
It is a special experience for the nature lover and uses only the safest routes so that previous canoeing experience is not necessary, opening it up to all. Lifejackets are provided. All you need to do is sit back, relax and watch Africa slide by.
When it comes to fishing, Chongwe is orime tiger country! The Lower Zambezi is home to the famous tiger fish, also known as the “water dog,” whose sharp teeth are coupled with its fighting spirit. Its reputation marks it as one of the world’s top game fish. At Chongwe River House, guests have the chance to head out onto the river to search for this formidable opponent, with a strict catch-and-release policy in place in order to preserve stocks of this combative fish.
If you’re feeling peckish and adventurous, you can also try your hand at some bream fishing on the Chongwe river itself. A limited number of this can be brought back to camp and served with a succulent lemon butter sauce! All equipment is provided, with both conventional tackle and entry level fly rods available. Serious fly fishers should bring their own tackle.
Driving safaris are conducted in private, open 4X4 vehicles (either Land Cruiser or Land Rover) with either two or three rows of seats allowing the whole group to have a fantastic view. Daytime game drives offer guests the chance to see many of Africa’s most famous animals – but there’s also something special about night drives.
Night drives are usually an extension of afternoon game drives, canoe or walking safaris. As the sun begins to set, watch the day come to a close and set off to explore the nocturnal animals as they begin to emerge. The best chance of seeing genets, civets, elephant shrew, porcupine and the fierce honey-badger is after dark and the large predators, with the exception of wild dog, are most active at night. Birding can also be very rewarding at night with nightjars, owls, dikkop, bat hawk and coursers all abundant.
The night sky over Africa is simply incredible and you should not miss the chance to experience its vastness and splendour. The Milky Way is as clear as day in the Luangwa Valley, where there is no light pollution to get in the way. The Southern Cross, Orion and Scorpio hang above amongst an infinite number of stars and you will create everlasting memories of sitting in awed silence listening to the distant call of lions, cicadas and a million tree frogs under the crescent of an African moon.
Like the canoes, this is a river safari which offers both morning and afternoon opportunities to view game from the river, but instead of a canoe, you get the comfort of a luxury boat. Sit back and relax as your guide leisurely weaves between the islands and main channels of the mighty Zambezi. Cruise the river looking at game and birds, staying ’til late to enjoy some of the most spectacular sunsets you will ever see. All this without the bumps and dust of game drives.
The Chiawa Cultural Village was formed from the partnership between conservation organisations (with Africa Wildlife Foundation as a key strategic partner), Lower Zambezi Lodges and the Goba people of Chiawa, creating a cultural tourism enterprise that empowers local people and enables them to benefit directly from the tourism trade generated by the profusion of wildlife in the region. It is owned by the Chiawa community through the Tsika Development Company.
At the Chiawa Cultural Village, visitors embark on a guided tour where they learn about the lives of the Goba people, their traditions, trades, tools, edifices and arts including dance, song and handiwork of local craftspeople.
The Time + Tide Foundation (TTF) creates social value in the Time + Tide communities. As the philanthropic arm of the Time + Tide tourism brand, the Foundation invests in the future productivity of African economies through community and school-based learning.
The TTF’s Female Empowerment initiatives inspire primary school girls from some of the most isolated communities in Madagascar and Zambia to believe in their self-worth. The aim is to increase the number of primary school girls who successfully transition to, and complete, secondary school. Specifically, the current programme objective is to see 70% of female beneficiaries achieve high enough exam scores to advance to quality boarding schools. These schools have better resources than local government day schools and also provide a truly academic environment and shelter girls from the domestic expectations of their homes and communities.
In order to do this, the TTF holds weekly clubs with over 180 girls across 9 schools and focusses their activities on building self-esteem, literacy skills and overall academic performance. In 2021, the Female Empowerment Policy was revised to include a three-year commitment from girls, enrolling them in grade 5 only. They are also more closely involving parents in the programme by forming parent committees and sharing curriculum content so they become more aware and engaged with their daughters’ academic and social learnings.
The primary beneficiaries of this programme are, naturally, the girls themselves; however, the TTF also holds meetings and workshops with 1,100 teachers and parents on the future earning potential of educated women. Moreover, they host community and school-wide activities, through which they indirectly engage 3,500 students and residents on girls’ rights and the importance of female education.
In Zambia and Madagascar, the 2019 Human Development Report stated that respectively 63% and 44% of births are attended by skilled health personnel. The maternal mortality ratios are 224 and 353 deaths per 100,000 live births. Only 26% of the population in Zambia and a mere 11% in Madagascar have access to basic sanitation facilities.
While the TTF is primarily focussed on education, they also look to provide medical treatment for children who require hospitalisation and consultations with specialists. So far, they have financed surgeries for 14 children with conditions such as bowed legs, cleft lips, life-threatening injuries, and routine shunt replacements. Furthermore, they ensure that children in the home-based education programme receive the medication, food and nutrition they require, offering them an alternative healing therapy called Body Stress Release.
In Madagascar, TTF employs a part-time medical doctor and three full-time nurses to service 20 villages in the Loky-Manambato Protected Area, a few of which are over 45km from the nearest clinic. As a result, 2,800 residents of these villages now have access to reliable medical care in the comfort of their own homes, and an additional 6,000 residents from neighbouring communities need only travel a few kilometres to consult qualified healthcare professionals.
In 2020, the doctor devoted over 500 hours of his time to share Covid-19 preventive measures with residents, simultaneously distributing over 400 reusable masks.
The prevalence of disabilities in children aged 0 – 14 years in sub-Saharan Africa is unknown, with published estimates saying it could be anywhere from 6% to over 20%. What’s more, 90-98% of children with special needs are estimated to be out of school. The result is an incredibly low literacy rate (only 3% of adults with special needs in Sub-Saharan Africa are literate) and severely limited professional opportunities in adulthood.
Children with special needs deserve to share access to the same opportunities, including the chance to attend formal school and learn in inclusive environments. Through the Home-Based Education Programme, the TTF provides individualised education plans for children and their families, with the objective of seeing 75% of these children enrol in primary schools. These plans are delivered firstly in children’s homes, in partnership with their parents, by community caregivers who have received extensive training on the biological, psychological and social challenges faced by children with special needs.
In 2021, a total of 172 children are registered in the home-based education programme, with 60% of children enrolled in formal primary schools. By comparison, only 10% of children were enrolled in school when the programme was piloted in 2016. Significant strides have been accomplished over the last few years, with 16 teachers’ assistants now fully trained and deployed to primary schools to implement inclusive education, and several income-generating projects developed for the benefit of the community caregivers. The programme currently focuses primarily on the 172 children with special needs; however, their activities also directly benefit 1,400 community caregivers, parents and teachers across the area.
A recent report published in Zambia cited that 79% of families with children with special needs unfortunately suffered substantial income loss over 2020, resulting in food insecurity. To assist residents in these areas, many of whom rely on tourism for their livelihoods, the TTF distributed three months’ worth of food hampers to every family on the programme and the volunteer caregivers. In total, 693 hampers were given out, consisting of staple foods, fresh produce, protein, and basic household goods, which benefitted over 5,500 residents.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 40% of children are not in school. Of the children who do enter into and remain in school through grade 12, less than 33% can demonstrate an understanding of their course material. Consequently, the majority of students enter the labour market with sub-standard literacy and numeracy skills, hindering their ability to find good, well-paid jobs.
The student sponsorship programme by the TTF strives to eliminate barriers to schooling for students with high academic potential, who would otherwise not be able to afford quality education. Once accepted into the programme, the TTF will then prioritise enrolment, retention and completion of secondary school at well-reputed boarding schools where the educational resources are far better and more numerous than those found at government day schools. Thereafter, the aim is to see 85% of sponsored students retained through secondary school and 50% qualify for government bursaries to attend university.
In 2021, 60 students are sponsored in secondary school and college, 75% of whom attend some of the best boarding schools in their respective provinces. As a result of the investment in their children’s education, 120 parents directly benefit from the sponsorship programme too, with an additional 1,700 residents positively impacted through their relationship to sponsored students and through delivery of goods and services.
Together with Time + Tide, the Time + Tide Foundation is committed to protecting the threatened wildlife and habitats in their areas of business. In Zambia, they support local conservation management organisations in their anti-poaching, environmental education, human-wildlife conflict, and wildlife rehabilitation efforts. In 2019 alone, Time + Tide donated USD $160,000 to these efforts and contributed over $500,000 to the national parks authorities via fees, levies and taxes.
In Madagascar, Time + Tide are uniquely positioned on a protected island, with a full-time environmental team trained in wildlife monitoring and reforestation. They therefore have the opportunity to take a more hands-on approach to conservation, which has involved the monitoring of nesting sea turtles on Nosy Ankao, marine and terrestrial biodiversity surveys, seabird ringing and monitoring, plus a Crowned Lemur Conservation programme.
Ultimately, the success of wildlife conservation depends on the number of people who would gain more financially from protecting animals and their habitats than they would from harvesting them. Through the TTF’s coral reef research, education of fishing associations, reforestation efforts, well installations, and ranger and student training and employment, 1,300 residents in the Loky-Manambato Protected Area directly benefit from these efforts, with a further 5,500 residents receiving secondary or indirect benefits from procurement, job opportunities and the potential for conservation-focused income generating projects.
Open to children